1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) device. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an LCD device having a pixel electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) device is a type of flat panel display device and is widely used. The LCD device includes two substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two substrates and a polarizer disposed on external surfaces of the substrates. The two substrates respectively have a pixel electrode and a common electrode for forming an electric field therebetween. The electric field formed by the pixel electrode and the common electrode is applied to the liquid crystal layer. When the electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer, directors of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are arranged according to the electric field. The LCD device displays images using the arranged liquid crystal molecules and the polarizer.
In a vertical alignment (“VA”) LCD, the longitudinal axes of the liquid crystal molecules are vertically arranged with respect to the display substrates. Since the VA LCD has a high contrast ratio and a wide viewing angle, the VA LCD is widely used.
In order to improve the viewing angle of the VA LCD, slits or protrusions may be disposed on the pixel electrode and/or the common electrode. Since the pretilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules may be determined by the slits and the protrusions, the slits and the protrusions may arrange the liquid crystal molecules in various directions so that the viewing angle of the VA LCD may be improved.
Light efficiency may be best when the directors of the liquid crystal molecules are inclined at about 45° with respect to the polarization axis of the polarizer. The polarization axis of the polarizer may be perpendicular to the gate line or the data line. Thus, the slit or the protrusions may extend in a direction of about 45° with respect to the gate line or the data line.
Although the slit or the protrusions extends in the direction of about 45° with respect to the gate line or the data line, the directors of the liquid crystal molecules may not be inclined at about 45° with respect to the polarization axis of the polarizer. For example, the liquid crystal molecules adjacent to an edge of the pixel electrode or between adjacent pixel electrodes may be irregularly arranged, so that the light transmissivity of the pixel area may be reduced, and the response time of the liquid crystal layer may be increased.
When the width of a light-blocking pattern is increased in order to cover the irregular arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules, the aperture ratio of the pixel area may be decreased.